Sports Superstitions

We all hear popular superstitions when the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday. And no player wants to wear the number 13. It is said that superstitions have been a part of sports since their beginning. Players and fans alike have their ways of avoiding bad luck.

Some superstitions are stranger than others. For example, Michael Jordan (a graduate of North Carolina) always wore his blue North Carolina shorts under his Bulls uniform for good luck. Baseball pitcher Turk Wendell brushes his teeth and chews licorice between every inning. Wade Boggs eats only chicken the day of a game and draws a symbol that means âTo Lifeâ in the dirt before every at-bat. Former pitcher Mark âThe Birdâ Fidrych used to play with the dirt on the mound and talk to himself before every inning.

Here are some other common superstitions.

Baseball

Spitting into your hand before picking up the bat is said to bring good luck.

A wad of gum stuck on a player's hat brings good luck.

It is bad luck if a dog walks across the diamond before the first pitch.

Some players believe it is good luck to step on one of the bases before running off the field at the end of an inning.

It is bad luck to touch the baselines while running off and onto the field between innings.

Lending a bat to a fellow player is a serious jinx.

Some players actually sleep with their bat to break out of a hitting slump or stay in a groove.

If a pitcher is throwing a perfect game or a no-hitter, never speak of it while it's going on.

Basketball

The last person to shoot a basket during the warm-up will have a good game.